Reenforcing and fastening means for tile



REENFORCING AND FASTENING MEANS FOR TILE Filed May 19, 1932 19 10 7 J5 I i :l- 5 16 15 6/ 20 I INVENTOR I EoqEeHT/T77 ATTOR Patented Mar. 20, 1934 REENFORCING AND glisETENING MEANS Roger H. Stitt, Chicago, Ill., assignor to United States Gypsum Company, Chicago, IlL, a corporation of Illinois Application May 19, 1932, Serial No. 612,305

20 Claims.

This invention relates to fastening devices in building constructions and has reference more particularly to a method of reenforcing acoustical tiles and securing them in place;

Acoustical tiles are generally made of a has of mineral wool with a suitable binder, or of other light weight fibrous material of a frangible nature. Such tiles are frequently fastened in place by means of an adhesive material applied to the exterior rear surface of the tile. This method of fastening when used alone has proved unsatisfactory for tiles subject to expansion and contraction, since the adhesive easily becomes loosened and allows the edges of the tile to curl m away from the wall or ceiling surface. In some constructions acoustical tiles are nailed to the building surface. Due to the composite nature of such tiles, the nailed. edges frequently become turn or otherwise weakened and pull away from the nails.

An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a satisfactow mechanical attaching means for securing acoustical tiles or other tiles of a frangible nature to wall or ceiling surfaces.

Another object of this invention is to provide a reenforcing means for the edges of disintegrant fibrous tiles.

A further object of the invention is to provide acombined reenforcement and fastening means for securing tile to a wall or ceiling surface, also to. improve buildingconstructions in other respects hereinafter specified and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the drawing forming a. part of this specification, in which 3 Fig. 1'. is a perspective view of a tile having the reenforcing and fasteningmeans in place,

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation through abutting tiles and a ceiling surface,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a building construction including the fastening device,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the reenforcing device, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of my invention.

ularly disclosed in the patent to King and Stitt,

. No. 1,769,519 of July 1, 1930.

A wedge-shaped, metallic reenforcing and fastening member 8 shown in Fig. 4, is composed of of said reenforcing member.

The acoustical tiles 6, or other tiles of a similar These a thin sheet of tin-plated steel, or other suitable metal, having an integral double folded edge '9 which furnishes strengthening means lengthwise Ribs 10, preferably two or more in number, are formed integrally the reenforcing member 8, extending perpendicularly to the folded edge 9 and cutting edge 11, and serve to laterally strengthen said reenforcin member.

The cutting edge 11 of reenforcing member 8 is M pressed or driven into the edges 12 of tile 6, preferably centrally between and parallel to the back and front faces of said tile. Pressure of the hands or a hammer blow applied to the folded edge 9 is sufficient to force the reenforcing memher 8 into the edge 12 of a tile 6 in such a manner that the reenforcing means 8- is embedded in the tile 6 and the folded edge 9 of reenforcing member 8 is flush with the edge 12 of said tile. These reenforcing members are impressed at suitable intervals on the edges 12 of tiles 6.

The exterior rear surface 1 1- of tile 6 is then placed against the wall surface 15 of wall 15a, or, if desired, a layer of adhesive 16 may be interposed between said tile surface 14 and said wall W surface. 15 to hold the tile in place during and after the fastening operation. Nails 1'? are then driven into the tile 6 through the front surface 13 and extend through thereenforcing member 8 at the point 18, being countersunk to such a depth M that the heads 19 of said nails rest firmly against the reenforcing members 8 and the point 20 of said nail extends into the wall 15a and thus holds the tile 6 securely against the wall surface 15. As

shown in Fig. 3, the nails 17 are preferably driven into tile 6 at an angle to the surface 13 to more firmly hold the tile in place against the downward pull of gravity and to insure that the tiles are firmly crowded together'in close edge-abutting. relation. Insertion of the nails at a fairly sharp angle is of particular advantage where the tiles are attached against a plastered surface, since the nails .thus provide a substantially hook-like engagement for the tiles, whereas if they are driven perpendicularly into the plaster they become readily dislodged due to the poor holding qualities of the plaster. The openings left in the exterior face 13 of the tile by the insertion of nails 17 and the countersinking of nail heads 19 may be filled with a suitable material, but are preferably left 1 open, since acoustical tiles are ofnecessity of an extremely porous nature and additional openings in the exteriorface merely serve to further increase the sound absorption qualtities of such a tile without disturbing the general appearance. II.

Moreover, since the nails 17 are preferably inserted at a slanting angle, the opening in question will likewise be on a slant, and, as is readily apparent from an inspection of Fig. 3, the nail heads 19 will be substantially hidden from view when the tile covered surface is seen from even a short distance. Fastening members are preferably used on each of the four edges of each tile.

I would state in conclusion that, while the illustrated examples constitute practical embodiments of myinvention, I do not wish to limit myself precisely to these details, since manifestly, the same may be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a building construction, a wall surface, a series of fibrous tiles arranged on said surface in edge abutting relationship, metallic reenforcing wedges forced into the'edges of said tiles, and nails extending into the face of said tiles and through said reenforcing wedges, for holding the tiles in place.

2. A reenforcing means for fibrous tiles, comprising a wedge-shaped metallic sheet having a reenforced longitudinal edge and integral reenforcing ribs extending laterallythereof, said sheet being adapted to be forced into the edge of a tile.

3. A fastening means for acoustical tiles, comprising a metallic reenforcing member extending into the edge of said tile, and a nail driven into the face of said tile and extending through said reenforcing member into a wall surface.

A reenforcing and fastening means for frangible tile, comprising a reenforced metallic sheet I forced into the edges of said tile, and a nail driven through said tile and said metallic sheet for the purpose of securing the tile to a wall surface.

5. fr fastening means for fibrous tile, comprising an adhesive coating on the rear surface of said tile, a reenforcing member pressed into the edge of said tile, and a nail driven through said tile and said reenforcing member, the nail head being countersunk in the face of the tile and pressed against the reenforcing member to hold said tile in place.

d. A reenforcing and fastening means for fibrous tile, comprising a thin, metallic, reenforcing means forced into the edge of said tile, and a nail driven through said tile and said metallic sheet to secure the tile to a building surface, the head of said nail being countersunk in the face of the tile and driven tightly against the metallic reenforcing means.

7. In a construction of the class described, a supporting surface, a pair of tiles of relatively penetrable material in edge to edge relation on said surface, individual, fiat, metallic reenforcing and fastening member's forced into the edges of said tiles, and a nail driven through each of said tiles and said reenforcing and fastening members into said building surface, whereby to .secure said tiles to said surface. i

8. In a construction of the class described, a supporting surface, a pair of tiles of fibrous material or the like attached to said surface in edge to edge relationship, individual, relatively rigid,

thin reenforcing and fastening members embedded in the edges of said tiles and lying within the plane of the respective tile edges, and nails driven through said members and the tiles into said supporting surface for securing said tiles in place.

9. In a construction of the class described, a

plastered building surface, a pair of tiles of fibrous material or the like in edge to edge relationship, individual, relatively rigid, thin reenforcing and fastening members embedded in the edges of said tiles and lying within the plane of the respective tile edges, and nails driven through said mem-- bers and the tiles at a slanting angle relative to said building surface for securing said tiles in place.

10. In a building construction, a plastered surface, a tile in engagement with said surface, a flat, substantially rigid, metallic member embedded in the edge of said tile, a nail extending through said tile and metallic member and into said plastered surface, said nail being at an inclination relative to said surface so as to provide secure attachment of said tile to said plastered surface, and the head of said nail lying within the body of said tile so as to be substantially ing said tile in place, and a nail passing through said reenforcing and fastening member and into said supporting surface for permanently securing said tile in place.

12. In a construction of the class described, a supporting surface, a pair of tiles of fibrous material or the like attached to said surface in edge to edge relationship, relatively rigid, thin metallic reenforcing and fastening members embedded in the edges of said tiles, the outer edges of said members being reenforced to permit application of pressure thereagainst when inserting said members into said tiles, said reenforced edges lying within the plane of the respective tile edges, and nails driven through said members and the tiles for securing said tiles in place,

13. In a construction of the class described, a supporting surface, a pair of tiles of relatively penetrable material attached to said surface in edge to edge relationship, individual metallic reenforcing andfastening members embedded in the abutting edges of said tiles, the outer edges of said metallic members being in substantially abutting relationship, and means passing through said members and the respective tiles for securing said tiles in place.

14. In combination with a tile for attachment to a building surface, a substantially rigid, flat member embedded in at least one edge of said tile intermediate its broad faces, said member being shorter than the length of said edge, and the outer edge of said member lying substantially within the plane of said tile edge.

15. In combination with a substantially penetrable tile, a substantially rigid, flat, metallic member embedded in at least one edge of said tile intermediate its broad faces, the outer edge of said member being reenforced to provide 'a surface against which pressure may be applied to force the same into said tile, said reenforced outer edge of said member lying within the plane of said tile edge.

' 16. In combination with a substantially penetrable tile for attachment to a building surface, a substantially rigid, fiat member forced into at least one edge of said tile intermediate its broad faces, said member being provided with reenforcing .means to supplement its rigidity to permit the application of pressure against said member while the same is forced into said tile.

17. In combination with a substantially penetrable tile for attachment to a building surface, a substantially rigid, flat member forced into at least one edge of said tile intermediate its broad faces, said member being provided with laterally extending reenforcing means to prevent it from bending while being forced into said tile.

18. In combination with a substantially penetrable tile, a substantially rigid, flat member forced into at least one edge of said tile inter- 1 mediate its broad faces, said member being subface, a substantially rigid, fiat metallic member embedded in at least one edge of said tile intermediate its broad faces, said member being longer than wide and being provided along one longitudinal edge with a reenforcement to provide means whereby pressure may be applied to said reenforced edge to force said member laterally into said tile edge.

20. A reenforcing and fastening device for insertion into the edge of a substantially penetrable tile, comprising a substantially fiat sheet metal member, one edge of said member being folded upon itself to strengthen said device and provide means whereby pressure may be applied to said member in forcing the same into a tile.

ROGER H. STI'I'I. 

